Film director who had unprecedented access to Putin claims he had cancer

Film director who had unprecedented access to Putin claims he had cancer

Film director who had unprecedented access to Putin claims he had cancer. Credit: @maxseddon/ Twitter

A film director who had unprecedented access to Vladimir Putin for two years has claimed he had cancer.

Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, whose credits include JFK and Platoon, followed the Russian dictator for two years and has claimed in a podcast that Putin had suffered from cancer and that he believed he had overcome the illness.

If this is true, it has not been told to the Russian people.

The claim comes as speculation about Putin hiding health conditions such as Parkinson’s or cancer circulating in the media.

The Kremlin has always denied that Putin is unwell, however, critics say his trembling appearance, long tables, bloated appearance and mysterious disappearances say otherwise.

Stone said he has not met with Putin for three years and that his in-depth interviews with the dictator happened between 2015 and 2017.

Stone told podcast interviewer Lex Fridman: “Remember this, Mr Putin has had this cancer and I think he’s licked it.”

“But he’s also been isolated because of Covid.”

There have been suggestions in Russia that Putin’s isolation from Covid was because of a pre-existing but unspecified medical condition which made him especially vulnerable.

Now, Stone’s claims about cancer raise the possibility that Putin had overcome cancer in the past but that it had returned.

The filmmaker – who has faced criticism that he was an apologist for Putin – did not specify the type of cancer.

There has been speculation recently that Putin is suffering from thyroid cancer and an investigation by independent Russian journalists found that Putin was permanently surrounded by a big team of medical specialists including a thyroid cancer surgeon.

Another speculation is that he is suffering from abdominal cancer, as reported by Metro and other news outlets.

Rumours circulating in Moscow claim that Putin is due to undergo surgery for cancer imminently and that he may put trusted aide Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian security council, in charge during this time.

There have also been claims that Putin has Parkinson’s disease, however, the Kremlin has consistently insisted that he is in robust health.

Earlier Stone said of Putin: “It’s been three years since I saw him for the last time, but the man I knew had nothing to do with the mad, irresponsible and murderous man that the media present today comparing him to Hitler and Stalin.”

“The Putin I knew was rational, calm, always acting in the interest of the Russian people, a true son of Russia, a patriot, which does not imply a nationalist.”


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Written by

Laura Kemp

Originally from UK, Laura is based in Axarquia and is a writer for the Euro Weekly News covering news and features. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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